Franklin PMC Kids Ride set for June 15

Saturday

May 24, 2014 at 11:30 AM

FRANKLIN — This spring, the eighth annual Franklin Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) Kids Ride will be one of 37 PMC Kids Rides throughout New England and beyond, on Sunday, June 15.In 2013, the PMC Kids Rides program attracted nearly 4,700 cyclists, ages of 2 to 15, who rode between one and 26 miles in mini-bike-a-thons to raise money for cancer care and research.The PMC Kids Rides are spokes in the PMC wheel, joining the more than 5,500 adult PMC cyclists in their mission to fund adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. The PMC is a two-day, 190-mile bike-a-thon held the first weekend of every August. Since 1980, the PMC has raised $414 million for the Jimmy Fund.PMC Kids Rides offer a way for children to become part of the PMC mission, involving young people in volunteerism and fundraising in a safe and athletic way. Since the first ride in 1998, The PMC Kids Rides program has raised more than $5.5 million.To provide the young cyclists with an additional push, the PMC recognizes cyclists in the Kids Rides program who raise $250 or more. Riders who meet this goal are honored as Heavy Hitters and receive an official PMC sack pack and certificate to acknowledge their fundraising achievements.The Franklin PMC Kids Ride expects 250 children, ages 3 to14, to ride one of four routes around Jefferson Elementary School in Franklin. There will be a three-mile, six-mile and 10-mile route for more experienced cyclists and a smaller loop for tikes on trikes. The Franklin PMC Kids Ride was started in 2006 by Lisa Marchioni, a former PMC cyclist, who was inspired by her children’s participation in a surrounding PMC Kids Ride to start a mini bike-a-thon in her community. She recruited a friend, Lisa Cronin, who lost her mother to cancer, to co-coordinate the annual ride.Eight years later, many of the young cyclists who participated in the inaugural event now serve as volunteers. The Franklin PMC Kids Ride will hold a party after the ride, which will include music, face painting and complementary refreshments. The ride hopes to raise $45,000.The Franklin PMC Kids Ride will be held 8 a.m. to noon at Jefferson Elementary School, 628 Washington Sr., Franklin. There is a $10 registration fee and a $25 fundraising minimum.PMC Kids Rides are sponsored by the Yawkey Foundation. Contributions can be made payable to the Pan-Mass Challenge.To register, visit http://kids.pmc.org. For more information, contact Lisa Marchioni at 508-520-9149 or call 800-WE-CYCLE.